1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory card reader, and more specifically, to a memory card reader with a storage box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the popularity of digital cameras, palm-sized digital devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), and MP3 players, various kinds of small storage devices are becoming available. Generally it is flash cards that prevail among the area of small storage devices. Some widely known and used small storage device cards are COMPACT FLASH (CF), XD-PICTURE, SECURE DIGITAL (SD), MULTIMEDIACARD (MMC), REDUCED MMC, SMARTMEDIA (SM), MEMORY STICK (including MAGIC GATE, MEMORY STICK PRO and DUO), and MINI SD.
Since the variety and capacity of flash cards is growing continuously, the need to transmit data between different types of memory cards is of great concern. Therefore, accessing data by connecting a memory card to a computer with a serial port interface or with one single universal serial bus (USB) transmission line is no longer suitable.
A flash card reader solves the above problem. With a flash card reader, data on various types of memory cards can be exchanged, without use of a digital camera or PDA, greatly promoting the interchangeability of data. Many kinds of card readers are available, each with its specialty. Some features employed include supporting a plurality of kinds or volumes of memory cards, having different types of transmission interfaces, and combination with other computer peripherals such as a computer mouse, a monitor, or a 5.25-inch/3.5-inch mobile rack installed on the computer case. Nevertheless, the connectors to a memory card in these card readers are all designed as an exposed socket in order to reduce the size of the card reader and to allow easy insertion/ejection of the memory card.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art card reader device 10. The card reader device 10 comprises a card reader 12, a plurality of sockets 14, and a transmission line 16. The plurality of sockets 14 are each designed for different types of memory cards 191, 192. In order to prevent the socket 14 of the card reader device 10 from dust or dirt contamination that can affect performance, a removable dust cover 18 is installed on the socket 14.
However, such design leads to a potential risk: the connector of the card reader 12 can be contaminated faster if the dust cover 18 gets lost. Moreover, when a memory card 191, 192 is plugged into the socket 14, part of the memory card 191, 192 is still exposed outside the card reader 12, making it vulnerable to any unexpected external force. Taiwan Patent No. 566,627 “Improvement of a Card Reader Structure” teaches a dust protection mechanism having a supporting rack arranged around a card reader. Since the supporting rack is connected to the shell of the card reader, the supporting rack is not easily lost. While this patent solves the above-mentioned dust prevention problem of a generic card reader, a memory card in use is still unsafe since part of the memory card is exposed outside the card reader.